I'm finally starting to believe in streaks

As Wayne Rooney has found, talent isn't always enough to win

Above: Wayne Rooney knows what cracked trips feel like...

Wayne Rooney is going through a bad streak. And so am I...

I've never believed in lucky streaks. Not in this game. Not in poker.

I've seen it in other walks of life. It happens in football all the time.

Look at Wayne Rooney. This time last year he was the hottest player on the planet. Everytime he got the ball, almost regardless of the opposition, you felt he would charge up field and either score, or create, a goal.

Twelve months on and he can only score with a slapper - and even then only for the going rate.

So what's the difference between the good times and the bad?

It's more than just form, it is. It's confidence, the moment, a sense of being the right man in the right place at the right time. It's a streak.

And, after tonight, I believe they exist in poker too.

Not because I've been winning against all odds for the last few hours - but because I've been hemorrhaging cash.

I was playing a small stakes cash game on Purple Lounge and was a few dollars up for the session when, in the small blind, I found myself staring at a pair of deuces.

It was peanuts to call, so I called - and hit my set on the flop.

There were two clubs on the board and I didn't want to start worrying about a draw, so I moved all-in. The big blind insta-calls with a couple of low clubs. And, of course, he hits his flush on the river. Boom.

An hour later, I've worked my way back up again when I find A,K♥ in the hole. One player calls my pot raise and the flop comes A,6,3 rainbow. I check, he bets double the pot, I move in. He calls - and wins - with A,6.

Again, I grind my way back up until I find myself with J,10♦ in the big blind. The button flat calls and the flop comes 3,5,9♦. The flush. I don't want any more nonsense. He may still have a single diamond and it may still be the Ace so I can't risk a draw - so I move all in. He calls.

WTF!?

He has A♦,10♥ and the river brings...the king of diamonds.

I guess I may have played these cards wrong. On at least one of the hands - AK v A6 - I should certainly have got out of the way against such a large bet on the flop.

And I know the guys who outdrew me on both flushes had outs - and lots of em - so I can't complain too bitterly.

But my point is, I knew I was - against the odds - going to lose all three long before the final cards came down.I just KNEW.

It never felt like I had a chance, even when I was statistically in front.

It FELT like a bad streak. It felt like I'd never win, even with quad aces.

Bad Beat

Why. Is. Life. So. Fu*&ing. Unfair? Unlike the other two idiots blogging on this site I'm a realist. And I really am losing a bloody fortune. So forget the sex-obsessed freak and that other hopeless dreamer and stick with me. It ain't pretty. I bet on sports and lose. And I play poker and lose. Again. And again.

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